called after her as she turned to leave.
“I hope you’re happy,” she said to Aaron as she walked past him, “you win. I give up.”
Aaron’s mouth hung open. He didn’t even say anything! How was she angry at him?
Carson’s expression was a mirror image of Aaron’s.
“What did I say?” he asked Gemma.
She rolled her eyes and sighed, “We were so close to having everyone happy.”
“What did I say?” Carson cried as his girlfriend stormed off annoyed with him, too.
Aaron scoffed. He’d tried to put it behind him. He tried to face his demons. He tried to do everything right to show her.
It still blew up in his face.
His eyes wandered to the bar. Why the Hell not?
His stomach burned with one shot and then another. He thought she’d given up a long time ago. That meant all of this time… he’d had a chance.
And another.
After a while, Ty joined him at the bar. Aaron took one glance at the shiny scars covering still-healing burns on his arm and felt a pang of guilt.
“So, why don’t you tell me what happened out there?”
He laughed and took another drink.
“Why? You’re not exactly a fan of mine,” Aaron said.
“You’re right. I’m not. You withheld valuable information from us, lied to us and you’ve squandered our resources. If this is war, who’s side does it seem like you’re on?”
Aaron gritted his teeth. “Did I forget to mark ‘Shit on Aaron Day’ on my calendar again?”
“You saved my life. I may not like you much, but I owe you,” Ty said, “I know something happened out there today and I was the only one that saw it. Maybe I can return the favor?”
Aaron made a face after another drink made him cough and sputter.
“You really want to know?”
“Yeah.”
<<<>>>
The explosion knocked him to the ground before he even knew what was happening.
It was the kid. The one he should have shot.
He heard only ringing. Blood trickled from his ears and he wiped it away without another thought.
He ran towards the school. His men, his friends — his brothers were in there.
The impact of the bullet hit him before the pain did. He was running on pure adrenaline. His arm hung at his side, useless and limp from the attack on his shoulder.
He dug through the rubble. He didn’t care that he was exposed.
The ground shook and shifted the rocks underneath. Another bomb?
His ears only buzzed. He looked around at the panicked faces of the villagers.
The ground still trembled.
An earthquake.
He fought to steady himself on the crumbling remains of the school. His vision tunneled. He looked down and saw red seeping and spreading over his chest.
It was his call.
<<<>>>
“I woke up after they’d gotten the bullet fragments out of my shoulder. I was the only one in my team to make it out of the ambush. I was the one that sent them in there. I told them it was clear.”
Ty looked at his arm before looking back to Aaron.
“Now… whenever things get hectic, I just panic. I freeze. I feel like I’m in another place completely,” Aaron said, trying to keep his tears at bay. Drinking and telling war stories rarely ended in anything other than tears.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know,” Ty said, “You should have told us.”
Aaron shook his head with a look of derision, “There are a million other stories just like mine out there. I’m not special. If you weren’t there… you can’t understand.”
“Well, I’m here if you want to talk.”
“You should get some rest, that arm looks gnarly as Hell.”
“Gee, thanks,” joked Ty, clapping Aaron on the shoulder as he stood from the barstool.
<<<>>>
“Well what was I supposed to say?” Carson asked.
Gemma’s brown eyes flashed with fiery anger, “You’re supposed to say ‘Thanks sis. You did great, I’m glad you’re here.’”
“Isn’t that what I said?”
“No. Not even close. You said you’re glad she forgot — and I quote — ‘that kiss nonsense’.”
“Well… come
“I hope you’re happy,” she said to Aaron as she walked past him, “you win. I give up.”
Aaron’s mouth hung open. He didn’t even say anything! How was she angry at him?
Carson’s expression was a mirror image of Aaron’s.
“What did I say?” he asked Gemma.
She rolled her eyes and sighed, “We were so close to having everyone happy.”
“What did I say?” Carson cried as his girlfriend stormed off annoyed with him, too.
Aaron scoffed. He’d tried to put it behind him. He tried to face his demons. He tried to do everything right to show her.
It still blew up in his face.
His eyes wandered to the bar. Why the Hell not?
His stomach burned with one shot and then another. He thought she’d given up a long time ago. That meant all of this time… he’d had a chance.
And another.
After a while, Ty joined him at the bar. Aaron took one glance at the shiny scars covering still-healing burns on his arm and felt a pang of guilt.
“So, why don’t you tell me what happened out there?”
He laughed and took another drink.
“Why? You’re not exactly a fan of mine,” Aaron said.
“You’re right. I’m not. You withheld valuable information from us, lied to us and you’ve squandered our resources. If this is war, who’s side does it seem like you’re on?”
Aaron gritted his teeth. “Did I forget to mark ‘Shit on Aaron Day’ on my calendar again?”
“You saved my life. I may not like you much, but I owe you,” Ty said, “I know something happened out there today and I was the only one that saw it. Maybe I can return the favor?”
Aaron made a face after another drink made him cough and sputter.
“You really want to know?”
“Yeah.”
<<<>>>
The explosion knocked him to the ground before he even knew what was happening.
It was the kid. The one he should have shot.
He heard only ringing. Blood trickled from his ears and he wiped it away without another thought.
He ran towards the school. His men, his friends — his brothers were in there.
The impact of the bullet hit him before the pain did. He was running on pure adrenaline. His arm hung at his side, useless and limp from the attack on his shoulder.
He dug through the rubble. He didn’t care that he was exposed.
The ground shook and shifted the rocks underneath. Another bomb?
His ears only buzzed. He looked around at the panicked faces of the villagers.
The ground still trembled.
An earthquake.
He fought to steady himself on the crumbling remains of the school. His vision tunneled. He looked down and saw red seeping and spreading over his chest.
It was his call.
<<<>>>
“I woke up after they’d gotten the bullet fragments out of my shoulder. I was the only one in my team to make it out of the ambush. I was the one that sent them in there. I told them it was clear.”
Ty looked at his arm before looking back to Aaron.
“Now… whenever things get hectic, I just panic. I freeze. I feel like I’m in another place completely,” Aaron said, trying to keep his tears at bay. Drinking and telling war stories rarely ended in anything other than tears.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know,” Ty said, “You should have told us.”
Aaron shook his head with a look of derision, “There are a million other stories just like mine out there. I’m not special. If you weren’t there… you can’t understand.”
“Well, I’m here if you want to talk.”
“You should get some rest, that arm looks gnarly as Hell.”
“Gee, thanks,” joked Ty, clapping Aaron on the shoulder as he stood from the barstool.
<<<>>>
“Well what was I supposed to say?” Carson asked.
Gemma’s brown eyes flashed with fiery anger, “You’re supposed to say ‘Thanks sis. You did great, I’m glad you’re here.’”
“Isn’t that what I said?”
“No. Not even close. You said you’re glad she forgot — and I quote — ‘that kiss nonsense’.”
“Well… come
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